Heaton Street, Hockley

[Edmund Fifield]

Yes peg, think she could only have I think 5 ,but they let her buy the cleaning stuff to take back.Thats a true story

[Edmund Fifield]

Peg,another story.My M in Law worked in the jewellery quarter for Platners in the early50s.She often told us how she went from jewellers to jewellers with £100s worth of Diamonds  and rings just in a bag ,no security at all.She then went to work at Webbs(don't know if you knew it) in the canteen.Then to Rabones making rules and tapes.She then married her Forman James Day and went to live in Tamworth.End of story

[Peg Monkey]

City of a 1000 trades - If you were seeking work in the 50's the city was a good place to start, Birmingham in particular - so was the story with my father who moved from South Wales in the mid-40s to escape the pit. Times were tough in the area around Heaton St if you were jobless but my immediate family were fortunate to be seldom out of work - my grandfather, a self-employed jeweller, was working  almost unitl the day he died.
Peg.

[Peg Monkey]

My home in Heaton St faced the rear entrance to Icknield St School, a senior school in the 50's, which my elder cousin, Ray, attended and where I fully expected to attend after leaving Farm St Junior School, then just as I was approaching 11 fate took a hand and my family was re-homed to the Lyndhurst Estate, Erdington. It would have been sensible to go to the nearby Moor End lane School then but I wanted to move with my friends from Farm St School to Harry Lucas School, unfortunately that sentenced me to 5 years of commuting from Erdignton to Hockley - not a wise decision-time consuming and costly.
Peg.

[Peg Monkey]

Street football - I lost count of how many times I had my collar felt by the local constable for playing football in the street, but in my defence the nearest bit of open land was Burbury St Park which was some distance away for a 0-10 year old. My mother favoured Handsworth Park, always a trreat for me, especially when it was combined with a trip to Grove Lane Baths, alongside the park. Polling days were great then I only had to cross the road to get into Icknield St School to use that playground.
Peg.

[Peg Monkey]

So, I bought my first balsa wood plane from Woolies on The Flat (when I was about 7), built it and then wondered where I was going to fly it - with no-one having a bit of of grass bigger than a postage stamp it was a challenge. The early planes had a huge rubber band to power the propeller, it took ages to wind up for just a few seconds of flight, initially I was content to watch the model scoot along the road without taking off (Heaton St was pretty quiet then on Sundays) but after a while I did try a launch - usually ended in tragedy - with no-way of controlling its decent if my plane survived impact with the tarmac with little more than a crumpled propeller I counted myself fortunate.
Peg.

[Peg Monkey]

Bus Brake Testing - why Heaton St (1950s)? The street (unfortunately for residents) was a convenient side road close to the bus station (formerly the tram station) in Whitmore St. Buses would leave the station for their routes at 4.00pm Monday to Saturday, proceeding along Heaton St accelerating and screetching to a halt 4 or 5 times as they headed towards The Flat (Lodge Rd), there was a short but steep incline where Heaton St met Lodge Rd and this was ideal for testing the bus's handbrake, Most buses turned left at Lodge Rd and headed for Icknield St, if a fault was detected the bus could make a right turn and return to the depot via Ford St.
This link will take you to a mapsite showing the area:  https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.4941&lon=-1.9162&layers=168&b=6
Peg.

[Peg Monkey]

Bus Brake Testing - looking back it does seem odd infants were not under curfew during the test period Mon-Sat 4.00-4.30pm, the reality was residents viewed the excercise as a risk that had to be managed, as such I recall not accidents over the period I lived in Heaton St 1949-1959, upto the age of 10, true the phrase watch out for the buses was used in the road far more than anywhere else.
Peg.

[Peg Monkey]

Point and other duties (1950s) - Although I witnessed the event nearly 65 years ago, when I was 5, I still recall the episode clearly: I emerged from the side entry to my house in Heaton St one day just in time to witness a burly constable carrying a young woman under one arm, she was was cursing and shouting clearly the worse for drink. The constable was wearing a full length white waterproof as was used in those days for point duty so I guess he was directing traffic on Hockley Brook (about 10 mins distant) when he got a call from his base (Kenyon St Police Station) via the police telephone point on Hockley Brook) that the landlord at the Bennion Arms had a problem.
The young woman was clearly taking exception to her forced eviction from her local hostelry, showing no gratitude for the free lift home she was receiving, what saddens me to this day was the sight of her tearful infant daughter (no older than me - 5) bringing up the rear carrying her mum's shoes.
I make no judgement about what I saw, there could have been 100 reasons why the young mum sort refuge in a bottle (or 2).
Peg.
P.S. My thoughts conflict: I know the event occurred at the weekend (I was not at school) and my memory tells me it was a Sunday - but that is inconsistant with the constable being on point duty - Sundays were quiet, traffic-wise.

[Peg Monkey]

..........on a lighter note - The Palladium Cinema, Hockley Brook, was only about 15 minutes walk from my house, my mum took me there many times (my dad never went once) during the 1950s and, of course, there was the usual Saturday morning riot....
Anybody remember the ABC Minors sung?
Peg.
P.S. Flash Gordon? - good name for a dodgy second-hand car dealer.

[Peg Monkey]

1950s Joseph Lucas Children's Christmas Parties. I was living in Heaton St when I got invited to one, my dad knew someone who worked at Lucas and his child didn't want to go. It was a lavish affair held in the Works Canteen on Gt Hampton St. Food was great and there was entertainment, before then I'd only known Christmas Parties at Farm St School, which consisted mainly of a tiny dried up cornedbeef sandwich and tinned fruit (still thought it was great).
Trouble was as I had stood in for another child I felt like an imposter, expecting anytime to have my collar felt by the boys in blue from the near-by Kenyon St Police Station.
Peg.